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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is projected to make his return this Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens, coach Zac Taylor said Monday.
Burrow has missed the last eight games with a turf toe injury he suffered on Sept. 14 against Jacksonville.
«I anticipate him playing, but we’ll continue to work through the week,» Taylor said.
Burrow had two full days of practice ahead of Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots. Taylor ultimately made the decision to roll with veteran Joe Flacco to allow Burrow to get a couple of extra days of rest ahead of a short week.
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The Bengals are 3-8 entering the Thanksgiving Day showdown against the Baltimore Ravens, the game Burrow initially eyed for his comeback. He made significant progress without any setbacks, which forced Taylor to make the call for Week 12.
Flacco will be Burrow’s backup moving forward, Taylor said. With Burrow out, the Bengals lost three games with Jake Browning at quarterback before trading for Flacco ahead of Week 6. Flacco enjoyed one of the best spells in nearly a decade. However, the team went 1-5 with Flacco as the starter.
Burrow is no stranger to severe injuries. In all six of his years in the NFL, he’s either suffered a major injury or spent time recovering from a significant surgery.
Previous to this season, he had played at least 10 games each season. With his Week 13 return, Burrow can play in a maximum of eight games.
However, as he noted earlier in November, this will be the first time he is able to come back from injured reserve in the middle of a season.
After Sunday’s game, the Bengals were three games back of both the Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who each have a 6-5 record. Cincinnati split its games with Pittsburgh this season and will face Baltimore twice in a three-week span.
The Bengals have a 1% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, which also projects the Bengals to lose the next three games.
Even with the slim odds, Burrow is determined to play again this season.
«He’s worked really hard to get himself back,» Taylor said after Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the Patriots. «He’s a football player. He wants to play football. We want to win football games, so that will lead into that decision.»
Speaking to reporters Monday, Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden said what Burrow did to come back from his turf toe surgery isn’t lost on the locker room.
«What he did last week is inspiring,» Golden said. «It’s inspiring to us as a defense. It’s inspiring to the players, the coaches. It goes above.»
Burrow won’t be the only player making his return on Thursday. Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was back at the team’s downtown headquarters on Monday after serving his one-week suspension for spitting on Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey on Nov. 16. Bengals backup running back Samaje Perine could be available after he was injured in Week 9 because of a hip-drop tackle.
Despite those additions, Cincinnati will not be at full strength. Wide receiver Tee Higgins and backup reserve running back Tahj Brooks will miss Thursday’s game as they go through concussion protocol, Taylor said. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson will also miss his fourth straight game with a hip injury.
